During an official side event at COP30 on Monday, representatives from China, Brazil, Pakistan and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) defended the strengthening of South-South cooperation as the key to aligning economic development, environmental conservation, good production practices and sustainable trade.
The panel “The Global South Reshaping Climate Multilateralism: Nature, Food Security and Just Transitions” was organized by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) and partners from Brazilian and Chinese organizations.
“The Global South has a great responsibility for the future of the planet and a great opportunity too, being a region that is home to some of the countries that produce the most food. It will only be possible to continue producing if we maintain the tropical forests that irrigate agriculture. To do this, we need to change the model that brought us here, from expansion to intensification,” said André Guimarães, executive director and COP30 Special Envoy for Civil Society, during the opening of the panel.
The role of science
Present at the event, Ludmila Rattis, a researcher at IPAM and representative of FDC (Fundação Dom Cabral), presented the GALO (Global Assessment from Local Observations) research project, developed by IPAM and the Woodwell Climate Research Center, to investigate how forests influence agricultural production and vice versa. Preliminary results have shown that soybean plantations near forests are more productive.
“When comparing production areas in deforested areas with areas that still retain native vegetation, the difference is immense, because forests act as an air conditioner for the landscape. Therefore, if we want to continue producing food, we need to think about financial mechanisms to keep the trees standing,” he said.
Financing and low-carbon agriculture
André Aquino, Head of the Special Economic and Environmental Advisory Office of the MMA (Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change) spoke about how South-South collaboration should transform its needs into financial flows, such as the TFFF (Tropical Forests Forever Fund), a fund presented by the Brazilian government that provides for investments in initiatives and countries that conserve and expand their forests.
“One aspect that needs attention is China’s role as a potential investor, not only because of its economic power, but also because of its dependence on forests due to imports of Brazilian commodities.” Aquino also stressed that no single solution will work to guarantee global food security: multiple solutions will be needed.
Chinese representative Peng Ren, executive director of EEI (Evergreen Environmental Institute), highlighted the growing interest of Chinese consumers and retailers in responsibly sourced products, driven by the new “green trade” policy of China’s Ministry of Commerce. “Development and conservation are not opposing forces, but two sides of the same strategy,” he said. “The challenge is common and we need to face it together.”
During the event, Taciano Custódio, Head of Sustainability at Rabobank, pointed out that Brazil is going through a transformation towards more sustainable models – a movement that requires financial resources compatible with the realities of the countryside.
According to Custódio, the country’s complexity, marked by factors such as the tax system, the environmental agenda and the history of deforestation, increases the risk perceived by investors and makes the available capital more expensive than in other countries.
In this context, he argued that there is no single solution – the way forward lies in combining financial instruments and understanding the specificities of each sector and landscape. “Rabobank’s strategy is to support our clients to expand production without expanding the productive area. Producing more does not mean deforesting more,” he concluded.
Aligning goals and trust
Renata Miranda, a consultant at IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), stressed the need for viable economic models and the alignment of climate goals between the countries of the region, based on trade risks. “We need to do this together and not miss this opportunity, considering each other’s limitations and respecting legislation.”
Mirey Atallah, Head of UNEP’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Department, stressed that the challenge of conservation is global and involves geopolitical, economic and sovereignty dimensions.
Atallah stressed the need for financial mechanisms and mutual trust between the countries of the South, ensuring that sustainability standards and MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) systems are defined jointly.
The reality of Pakistan and the power of cooperation
Representing Pakistan, Khalid Walled of the SDPI (Sustainable Development Policy Institute) highlighted the role of farmers in the economy and in climate resilience – the agricultural sector employs a third of the Pakistani workforce and suffered losses of around 30 billion dollars in the 2022 floods.
The country has bet on solar energy to reduce costs and emissions, with the support of Chinese technology. “When the South collaborates, the world collaborates,” he said. “We need a pact between the countries of the South to transform climate trade into fair trade.”
Closing the panel, Wang Yi Vice Chair, president of China’s National Committee of Climate Experts, presented four principles to guide the new multilateralism: Global integration and differentiated responsibilities, with more commitment from developed countries; Valuing local specificities, uniting production, conservation and innovation; Practical learning and continuous adaptation and; Strengthening the narrative of the Global South, with its own standards of sustainability.
“We need to build our own standards and business models. A sustainable future depends on cooperation between the countries of the Global South,” he concluded.